I Am the Prophecy Cat
by Shadow-TheLastHero
Summary: When Birdwing gets a mysterious prophecy from her long-dead mother, Sealstar, she can't help but wonder what it means... And why was it given to her...?


I Am The Prophecy Cat

The silvery she-cat paced back and forth, the ginger tom sitting there quietly. When the darker-speckled she-cat stopped pacing she glanced at the tom and asked, "Where did you get the prophecy?"

He just shrugged his shoulders, licking one of his white forepaws and running it over his whiskers. "I just did, you know? Maybe from StarClan's StarClan," he replied teasingly.

"I'm being serious, Russetclaw!"

"Don't you mean Russet?"

"Whatever!" she growled, glaring at him now. "Where did you get this prophecy, and why does it have to include her?"

Russet once again shrugged his shoulders and said, "I saw it in the stars, okay?"

The blue-eyed she-cat let out a sigh of exasperation and asked, "Should we warn her?"

"What do you think, Sealstar?" was the tom's only reply as he got to his paws and brushed past the starry-furred she-cat.

After hesitating a moment, the former ThunderClan leader followed Russet, saying, "It's Seal!"

"Whatever!"

* * *

Birdwing paced the clearing, unable to sleep. The newest warrior, her sister Squirrelclaw, ignored her insomniac sister and the third sibling, Mousepelt, was asleep, leaning on Squirrelclaw's shoulder. Birdwing had been named a warrior only the night before, but her sisters hadn't until that evening. She didn't feel superior to her siblings. Quite the opposite, actually. That was why she was so shocked with what happened when she finally slid her eyes closed.

When the she-cat blinked open her eyes again it was a dream. She knew that. That was why, initially, she wasn't shocked as another she-cat with the exact same appearance as her trotted up to her. She purred, "Mother! Sealstar!" Then a tom that looked like Squirrelclaw trotted up as well and she purred, "Father!"

His whiskers twitched in amusement and he asked, "What, you don't call me by name?"

"Russetclaw," she said with a joking tone.

"This isn't a dream, you know." Birdwing was shocked by this comment from her mother.

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't just your imagination. This is actually from StarClan. We have a message for you," Sealstar replied.

"A message?" Birdwing took a half step backwards, confused.

"_He who cries to the shadows shall bring death to the Clans, but one with a strong mind will see through the darkness and cleanse the crimson that has stained the forest."_

"What do you mean by that!" Birdwing demanded only moments before it all faded into black as she awoke.

* * *

"Birdwing, wake up!"

The darker-speckled she-cat shot to her paws, quickly becoming wide awake. Right beside her was Dusksun, a tom with markings very reminiscent to sunfall and eyes that seemed to change from orange to yellow to red to, occasionally, a mysterious purple. At least, those were the rumors. Currently they were a yellow color, how Birdwing herself had always seen him.

"What's up?" Birdwing asked stretching out her back and then licking the fur on her shoulder.

"I want you to lead a hunting patrol. I'll come along, and so will Patchflicker, Treesap, and Echopaw."

The she-cat nodded her head to the deputy – for he was deputy – then trotted to gather the other members of the patrol. When she finally did, she nodded her head to Dusksun, and then led the group outside the camp. Almost instantly Patchflicker broke off, claiming she hunted better alone, her black-and-white pelt quickly disappearing into the forest. Treesap led Echopaw off to train him, being his mentor, and their own golden and dark-and-pale-gray pelts fading into the shadows. All that was left was Dusksun and Birdwing. The pair hunted well, though they tended to ignore each other, and they returned with plenty of prey for the Clan. Once, after catching a mouse, Birdwing had commented, "We're having plenty of luck!"

Dusksun had just muttered something under her breath that sounded like, "Not for long…"

Even now Birdwing was contemplating it, but decided it was her imagination. They caught up with the rest of the patrol and returned to the camp. Birdwing was glad to be back at camp. She ducked into the warriors' den and decided to sleep until she needed to wake up.

* * *

Birdwing woke up quite a time later. There were loud cries in the clearing and the she-cat dashed out of the den, eyes widening as she saw the limp shape in front of her.

"Echopaw!"

Treesap went over to her apprentice's side. Only a short while ago the young tom had lost his mother, and since then Treesap had grown to love him as a son and him to love her as a surrogate mother. Birdwing couldn't understand what horrible creature would destroy the young apprentice's life…

"I found him several tree-lengths from the camp, his throat torn open. I don't know what… or who killed him… but when I do, I'll _make_ Stormstar banish them."

Birdwing glanced up at Dusksun then back down at Echopaw. Her claws unsheathed and she thought, _I'll tear whatever did this to shreds!_

Then she rose to her paws and whispered to Treesap, "I'm so sorry…" before trotting out of the camp. She needed some time alone to deal with the trauma…

* * *

Birdwing eventually found the site of Echopaw's death. How did she know? There was blood staining a part of the small clearing.

The blue-eyed she-cat trotted towards the splash of red. But, instead of a predator's scent, or even cat scent, she scented… catmint? It was as if someone had rubbed it all over the place! Her eyes widened and she checked the clearing again. The clearing had pawprints all over, but…

Aha! There it was! Just at the edge of the clearing, there was a small splash of four pawprints. The average cat would've thought it was nothing, but Birdwing knew what it was. There was one cat that did that. Crouched down with all four paws impossibly close to one another…

"I see the pretty she-cat's figured it out. Too bad you won't be able to tell anyone…"

A pair of yellow eyes glowed at the edge of the clearing. Birdwing whirled around and growled a single word.

"Dusksun!"

* * *

The tom slowly crept out of the shadows, but there was something… different about him… His aura seemed darker…

Suddenly, as though imitating his every move, a she-cat hauntingly similar to Squirrelclaw appeared behind the tom. But the young warrior knew it wasn't her sister.

"So, you've gotten help from Copperstar!" Birdwing growled, pressing her body close to the ground. A growl rumbled in her throat, and beside her a sleek pelt brushed against her own. She could tell, mostly from Copperstar's expression, that it was Sealstar, Birdwing's well-known mother. A battle cry tore itself from Sealstar's throat and the silvery, speckled she-cat charged at Copperstar, bowling her over and claws tearing ruthlessly into the rusty-golden she-cat. Birdwing jumped at Dusksun and straight away aimed for his throat. She missed at first as his head ducked to the side, nipping a scar into her ear. But Birdwing just fought harder, paws flailing. But the she-cat didn't unsheathe her claws. She couldn't bring herself to do it for some reason.

Eventually the two brawling cats ended in the center of the clearing. Birdwing aimed for vital spots, paws crashing down heavily on the tom. After a moment or two longer, the two split apart, and the first thing Birdwing noticed was the blood-stain from Echopaw's murder was gone, erased in the scuffle. Then she saw her mother walk towards Dusksun, Copperstar's limp yet still alive body disappearing.

"He who cries to the shadows shall bring death to the Clans…"

Bridwing was shocked by Sealstar's repetition of the beginning of the prophecy as she disappeared as well, then she charged at Dusksun again, slamming her forepaw into his neck with all the strength she could muster. There was no sickening crash, or spurt of blood. But, suddenly, Dusksun crumpled to the ground, eyes growing dull.

"But one with a strong mind will see through the darkness…"

Birdwing recognized her mother's voice echoing around her, and she replied with the last of the prophecy.

"_And cleanse the crimson that had stained the forest."_


End file.
